Daniel Farke’s side put an end to Liam Rosenior‘s winning streak in the Premier League, as Leeds fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw away from home.
The Blues were utterly dominant for sixty minutes, with Joao Pedro giving his side a 1-0 lead at half-time, before Cole Palmer doubled the advantage via a penalty.
From there, Leeds woke themselves up and halved the deficit through Lukas Nmecha – also from the spot – before Noah Okafor took advantage of a messy Blues backline to level things up.
The last ten minutes were frantic as Chelsea desperately searched for the winner, with Cole Palmer going agonisingly close – but in the end, both sides were forced to settle with a point each.
There will be positives to take away for both head coaches – but both will have been desperate for all three points to improve their league standings.
The FA Cup fourth round awaits both teams next – Chelsea travel to Rosenior’s former side Hull City, whilst Leeds play Birmingham City.
After a comfortable 3-1 victory against Wolves last time around, Liam Rosenior appeared to opt for a similar setup for this match – with Enzo Fernandez veering off the left flank of the attacking midfield.
Josh Acheampong was rewarded with his first league start in over a month; the defender had been ‘knocking on the door’ for some time, according to the Chelsea head coach.
The Blues suffered their joint-heaviest league defeat this season against Leeds – a 3-1 defeat at Elland Road under Enzo Maresca.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was amongst the goalscorers in that game for Leeds – but would miss out on this occasion through injury, as well as midfielder Anton Stach and defender Pascal Struijk.
Daniel Farke’s side had only won once away from home prior to this game, though victory would move them to as high as thirteenth – ten points clear of the relegation zone.
Chelsea began on the front foot with a few promising chances – but were also showing their physicality early on.
Malo Gusto went into the book after a lunging challenge, as was Josh Acheampong, who brought down Brenden Aaronson just outside the box.
There were not many clear cut opportunities within the opening twenty minutes of the first half, but it was certainly a scrappy affair. Gabriel Gudmundsson was the first to be booked for the away side, after an accumulation of fouls for the Swede.
A sloppy giveaway by Leeds gave Chelsea possession in the midfield, with Cole Palmer playing a perfect through ball into the path of Joao Pedro. The forward stayed onside and made no mistake from close range, lifting a left-footed finish over Karl Darlow to open the scoring.
Several Leeds defenders were in angered conversation after conceding; they had not been keeping track of Palmer and ultimately paid the price.
Chelsea were full of attacking confidence after going one up. Joao Pedro manufactured a few half-chances of his own, whilst Palmer had a fantastic opportunity for 2-0, but the ball was picked from him at the last second by the Leeds defence, and Darlow was able to make an easy claim.
The away side had produced very little opportunities, with just one shot to Chelsea’s six in the first half. They had set up to defend deep, but struggled to advance the ball quickly or create space for their players – in part due to their opponent’s intense press which closed down the spaces effectively.
Without the ball, Leeds were not causing Chelsea many issues, and it was leading to consistent attacks from the hosts.
Nonetheless, it was only a goal advantage by the Blues at half-time, and they would need to add to that tally quickly in the second half.
Jorrel Hato was brought on at the beginning of the second half for Chelsea. Marc Cucurella was the man to make way, with the switch reportedly not injury-related.
Estevao had been somewhat absent from the Blues’ attack, and whistled an effort just wide of the post in the opening few moments. Rosenior’s side had kept up the same level of energy and intensity that earned them a first half lead.
The frustration was settling in for Leeds, who were not playing to their strengths at all. They had found several promising chances in the match through set plays, yet wasted them through poor deliveries.
A fine long kick by Robert Sanchez found Joao Pedro, who rushed into the Leeds box once again. Centre-back Jaka Bijol acted recklessly and shoved the striker in the box, giving referee Robert Jones no choice but to award a penalty to the hosts.
Cole Palmer, who netted twice from the spot against Wolves, made no mistake once again as he sent Darlow the wrong way and doubled his side’s advantage.
Moments later, it was pinball in the Leeds box as several Blue shirts lined up to turn the ball into the net – ending in a sliced effort by Enzo Fernandez that landed well wide.
That proved to be the wake-up call required, as at the other end of the pitch, Leeds were awarded a penalty of their own; Moises Caicedo catching the leg of Jayden Bogle. Striker Lukas Nmecha blasted an emphatic effort into the left corner, and it was game on.
Out of nowhere, it was the away side who were dominating the ball. Chelsea had backed off slightly and were playing more passively – which allowed Leeds to send in looped balls over the top to disorientate the defence.
With fifteen minutes to play, they found their equaliser. Bogle again drove forward and caused issues in the Chelsea box. The ball bounced off several Blues defenders, with none making a decisive clearance. It allowed for substitute Lucas Nmecha to turn in the uncontested ball and level the scores.
Rosenior had seen his side complete comebacks and show fight til the final whistle – and they would once again need to find a goal from somewhere to maintain the three points.
Liam Delap and Wesley Fofana were introduced; the former would play alongside Joao Pedro as Chelsea threw everything at their opponents.
Pedro Neto was emerging as a threat from the right hand side, delivering several dangerous crosses into the box – as was Jorrel Hato, who’s laser-guided pass to Joao Pedro was headed onto the top of the Leeds goal.
Chelsea should have won it late in injury time – Moises Caicedo was played into the box fantastically, and sent a cross behind the defence into the path of Cole Palmer – who skied his effort from close range.
The points were therefore shared, with Leeds putting in a solid defensive showing in the latter stages to earn a point against the Blues.
Chelsea’s number 10 was allowed far too much space in midfield, especially in the first half, and it allowed him to do what he does best.
A gorgeous weighted pass found Joao Pedro for Chelsea’s opening goal – cementing a dangerous partnership between the two.
He netted his side’s second from the penalty spot, drilling a low shot into the bottom right hand corner with ease.
A perfect performance – ruined only by his missed chance in the last minutes of the match.